Ramon confounded by Kedah's dramatic defeat to KL

Zulhilmi Zainal

Ramon confounded by Kedah's dramatic defeat to KL image


BY        ZULHILMI ZAINAL       Follow on Twitter


Kedah head coach Ramon Marcote was left stunned by his side's defeat to Kuala Lumpur in their Malaysia Super League (MSL) encounter on Saturday.

It seemed that Spanish striker Pablo Pallares had done enough to earn a point for the visitors at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, when he made it 3-3 with his goal at the start of injury time, but four minutes later substitute Ashri Chuchu pounced on a rebound to score a last-gasp winner for Kuala Lumpur (KL).

Kuala Lumpur vs Kedah match highlights

A visibly upset Ramon told the reporters in the post-match press conference that he was floored by the dramatic defeat, as he believed that his side were better than the hosts.

"In general terms we were better, we played better, we created many chances, and scored three goals. Usually when you score three, you will win the game.

"But we made four mistakes that allowed the opponents to score four. We knew how KL would play; they utilise a target man, long balls, counter attacks, we knew these. We managed to come back from going behind twice, but in the final moments of the match, we made another mistake.

"What can I tell you? If we played this game a hundred times, we should win it a hundred times. I've been trying to explain to myself how we lost the game, and I'm sure even if I saw the match again I wouldn't be able to find an explanation for the defeat!"

However, the Spaniard rejected the suggestion that his centre back Khairul Helmi Johari was one of the causes for the defeat.

The Malaysia international allowed Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak to dispossess him en route to opening the scoring just three minutes into the match, and later in the second half conceded a penalty that was then converted by Guilherme de Paula.

"I can only agree with his first mistake, he was late in making a decision," said the head coach. "But it can happen in the first few minutes of the game. He was surrounded by Guilherme and their number eight (Zaquan). Helmi has been doing a good job." 

Zulhilmi Zainal